Chepstow Racecourse, situated in Monmouthshire, Wales, is one of just three racecourses in the principality, the others being Bangor-on-Dee, near Wrexham, and Ffos Las, near Llanelli. The dual purpose course staged its first meeting in 1926 and became the home of the Welsh National, a prestigious handicap steeplechase run over 3 miles 5½ furlongs, in 1948. Chepstow plays host to 14 Flat fixtures between May and September and 16 National Hunt fixtures in the remaining months of the year.

Course Characteristics

The round course at Chepstow is a left-handed, undulating, but galloping oval, approximately two miles in circumference. The straight mile course, like the round course, is generally downhill until the five-furlong marker and then generally uphill until the three-furlong marker before levelling out. On the National Hunt course, there are eleven, stiff fences, or seven flights of hurdles, per circuit. The nature of the subsoil at Chepstow means that conditions can become very testing indeed during spells of wet weather.

Track Facts

In 1933, Sir Gordon Richards rode eleven consecutive winners over two days at Chepstow and was beaten a head and a neck on his twelfth mount.

Former National Hunt jockey and trainer, the late David “Duke” Nicholson rode his first winner over obstacles, Fairval, as a 16-year-old in 1955.

The Welsh National is recognised trial for both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National. The last horse to complete the Welsh National-Cheltenham Gold Cup double in the same season was Burrough Hill Lad in 1983/84, while the last horse to complete the Welsh National-Grand National double in the same season was Earth Summit in 1997/98.

Chelmsford City Racecourse rose from the ashes of the ill-fated Great Leighs Racecourse, which was built on the same site, near Braintree in Essex, but closed in January, 2009, after going into administration less than twelve months after opening. The racecourse was reopened under its new name in January, 2015, although the track surface and layout remained unchanged. Chelmsford City Racecourse caters, exclusively, for Flat racing.

Course Characteristics

Chelmsford consists of left-handed oval, approximately one mile in circumference, with wide, sweeping turns and a two-furlong home straight. The course is essentially galloping in character, without undulations to unbalance a big, long striding horse. Races over 7 furlongs and a mile start on separate spurs.

The racing surface at Chelmsford is Polytrack, the same as at Kempton and Lingfield. However, the surface has been completely rewaxed, to increase its binding properties and reduce the amount of “kickback” – that is, loose surface kicked back into the faces of the following horses, and jockeys – since the racecourse reopened. The idea was to make racing fairer for horses ridden from off the pace, but statistics suggest that front-runners still have an edge, particularly in sprint races.

Track Facts

Chelmsford City Racecourse is the only racecourse in Essex.

Chelmsford City Racecourse is one of only five fully floodlit all-weather tracks in the country.

The first winner at Chelmsford City Racecourse was Tryster, trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by Adam Kirby, on January 11, 2015.

On September 2, 2017, Chelmsford City Racecourse staged its most valuable raceday so far, with prize money amounting to £200,000.

Catterick Racecourse, also known as Catterick Bridge, has stood in its current location, in the Richmond district of North Yorkshire since 1783. The first grandstand, evidence of which still remains, was built in 1906 and, under the auspices of the Catterick Racecourse Company, formed in 1923, Catterick has continued to flourish right up to the present day. Today, Catterick hosts 27 Flat and National Hunt fixtures each year.

Course Characteristics

The round course at Catterick is a left-handed, oval, just over mile around and characterised by pronounced undulations and sharp turns. The last seven furlongs of the round course, including the sharp turn into the three-furlong straight, are downhill as is the whole of the five-furlong straight course.

The National Hunt course features eight, easy fences, or five hurdles, per circuit. Overall, Catterick can be classified as very sharp on the Flat and, although slightly less sharp over fences and hurdles, suits agile, nimble horses rather than their big, long-striding counterparts.

Track Facts

The most valuable Flat race run at Catterick, the Catterick Dash, is one the shortest, at 5 furlongs, while the most valuable National Hunt race, the North Yorkshire Grand National, is the longest, at 3 miles 6 furlongs.

Five-time champion jockey Willie Carson, rode his first winner, Pinker’s Pond, at Catterick in 1962.

Cheltenham Gold Cup winning jockey Ridley Lamb rode his first winner, White Speck, at Catterick in 1971, at the age of just 15.

Cartmel Racecourse is situated in the picturesque medieval village of Cartmel, on the edge of the Lake District, in Cumbria. Horseracing first took place at Cartmel in 1856 and, originally, was limited to just one fixture a year, on Whit Monday. Nowadays, Cartmel still only stages seven fixtures a year, but boasts a modern grandstand, restaurant and hospitality facilities.

Course Characteristics

Cartmel is a left-handed, sharp, undulating oval, bisected by the finishing straight. There are just six, stiff fences, or four hurdles, on each circuit of the track, which is only just over a mile in circumference. Cartmel has the distinction of having the longest run-in of any National Hunt course in the country, at half a mile. The idiosyncrasies of Cartmel often produce course specialists.

Track Facts

By far the most famous event in the history of Cartmel racecourse was an attempted betting coup in August 1974, which became known as the “Gay Future Affair.” Essentially, a diverse cast of characters, who became known as the “Cork Mafia”, attempted to defraud bookmakers by substituting one horse for another. The substitute won by 15 lengths at 10/1, but the coup was discovered, bookmakers refused to pay out and the ringleaders were eventually warned off for 10 years.

Cartmel staged a two-day fixture in July, featuring the inaugural running of the Cumbria Crystal Trophy Handicap Hurdle, for the first time in 2012.